table: sons of Jacob, 12 tribes of Israel Part IV - Marching Order of the Tribes Part I - Introductory Facts about the 12 Tribes of Israel Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac begot Jacob. To be an Israelite by blood, a person must be a descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob begot 12 sons who are listed herein in subsequent sections. The 12 sons of Jacob are the patriarchs of the 12 Tribes of Israel. For example, Jacob's son Benjamin is the patriarch of the Tribe of Benjamin. Jacob's son Reuben is the patriarch of the Tribe of Reuben. And so forth. Well-known descendants of certain Tribes Tribe of Benjamin - King Saul, Paul the apostle [a.k.a. Saul of Tarsus] Tribe of Levi - Moses, Aaron Tribe of Judah - King David, King Solomon, many other kings; Lord Jesus, the Messiah The Promised Land [Canaan], plus an area on the east side of the Jordan River, was allocated among the 12 Tribes.

[Num 33.54; Num 36.3-9] As the priestly Tribe, Levi was given no land. [Num 18.20, 18.24] Instead of land, God gave Levi the tithes of the people of Israel. Jacob's son Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. By Jacob's command [Gen 48.5], Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, were regarded as de facto "Tribes" of Israel. Thus, the land allocations of Joseph and Levi were given instead to Ephraim and Manasseh, preserving *twelve* as the number of tribes.

[Josh 14.3-4] There is no such thing as "10 lost tribes of Israel." [Mt 10.6, Acts 26.7, Jam 1.1, Rev 7.1-8; Ezek 37] Part II Sons of Jacob [Names, Mothers, Birth Verses] Sons of Jacob Meaning of Name Mother Birth Verse 01-Reuben See, a son Leah So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "The LORD has surely seen my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me." Gen 29.32 02-Simeon Hearing Leah Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon. Gen 29.33 03-Levi Joined; attached Leah She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.

Gen 29.34 04-Judah Yah be praised Leah And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now I will praise Yahweh." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing. Gen 29.35 05-Dan Judge Bilhah (Rachel's servant) Then Rachel said, "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. Gen 30.6 06-Naphtali My wrestling Bilhah (Rachel's servant) Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed." So she called him Naphtali. Gen 30.6 07-Gad Troop; invader; good fortune Zilpah (Leah's servant) Then Leah said, "A troop comes!" So she called his name Gad. Gen 30.11 08-Asher Happy Zilpah (Leah's servant) Then Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." So she called his name Asher.

Gen 30.13 09-Issachar Man of hire Leah Leah said, "God has given me my hire [wages] because I have given my maid to my husband." So she called his name Issachar. Gen 30.18 10-Zebulun Dwelling Leah Leah said, "...now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun. Gen 30.20b 11-Joseph Increaser Rachel So she called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son." Gen 30.24 12-Benjamin Son of the right hand Rachel As her soul was departing (for she died), she called his name Ben-Oni [son of my sorrow]; but his father called him Ben-Jamin.

Gen 35.18 Part III - Prophecies about the 12 Tribes Sons of Jacob Genesis 49.1-27 Moses' Blessings Deuteronomy 33.6-25 01-Reuben Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it -He went up to my couch. Let Reuben live, and not die, Nor let his men be few. 02-Simeon Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.

[Moses makes no mention of Simeon in blessing the tribes of Israel.] 03-Levi Of Levi he said: "Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one, Whom You tested at Massah, And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah, Who says of his father and mother, 'I have not seen them'; Nor did he acknowledge his brothers, Or know his own children; For they have observed Your word And kept Your covenant. They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, And Israel Your law. They shall put incense before You, And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar. Bless his substance, LORD, And accept the work of his hands; Strike the loins of those who rise against him, And of those who hate him, that they rise not again." 04-Judah Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk. And this he said of Judah: "Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, And bring him to his people; Let his hands be sufficient for him, And may You be a help against his enemies." 05-Dan Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation, O LORD! And of Dan he said: "Dan is a lion's whelp; He shall leap from Bashan." 06-Naphtali Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.

And of Naphtali he said: "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the LORD, Possess the west and the south." 07-Gad Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last. And of Gad he said: "Blessed is he who enlarges Gad; He dwells as a lion, And tears the arm and the crown of his head. He provided the first part for himself, Because a lawgiver's portion was reserved there. He came with the heads of the people; He administered the justice of the LORD, And His judgments with Israel." 08-Asher Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties. And of Asher he said: "Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, And let him dip his foot in oil.

Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be." 09-Issachar "Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens; He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves. And of Zebulun he said: "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents! They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas And of treasures hidden in the sand." 10-Zebulun Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon. 11-Joseph Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. And of Joseph he said: "Blessed of the LORD is his land, With the precious things of heaven, with the dew, And the deep lying beneath, With the precious fruits of the sun, With the precious produce of the months, With the best things of the ancient mountains, With the precious things of the everlasting hills, With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.

Let the blessing come 'on the head of Joseph, & on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.' His glory is like a firstborn bull, And his horns like the horns of the wild ox; Together with them He shall push the peoples To the ends of the earth; They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh." 12-Benjamin Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.

Of Benjamin he said: "The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders." Part IV - Marching Order of the Tribes From Egypt to the Promised Land Military Organization & Marching Order of Israel Numbers Chapter 2 North - last to break camp Dan 62,700 | Asher 41,500 Naphtali 53,400 | Total 157,600 West - 3rd to break camp Ephraim 40,500 | Manasseh 32200 Benjamin 35,400 | Total 108,100 Center - Tabernacle of Meeting Levi unnumbered [Num 2.33] East - 1st to break camp Judah 74,600 | Issachar 54,400 Zebulun 57,400 | Total 186,400 South - 2nd to break camp Reuben 46,500 | Simeon 59,300 Daily Bible Study - Children Of Jacob

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Search all 6,500+ Bible studies on this website. Just type in topic word(s) or a question. Due to extensive use of high-quality maps and illustrations, this educational website is best-viewed with a minimum screen-resolution width of 1280 pixels Children Of Jacob by Wayne Blank The grandson of Abraham , and the son of Isaac , Jacob is a key individual of Bible History . God changed Jacob's name to Israel (see Stairway To Heaven ), and from his sons came the Tribes of Israel - the Israelites. Jacob had 2 wives, Rachel and Leah (who were sisters, and first-cousins of Jacob), and 2 concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah, an apparently common and accepted practice of the day. Rachel and Leah did not object to the other two women because it was their idea to have more children with them (Genesis 30:3,9). Rachel - Jacob's favorite wife. She died while giving birth to Benjamin and is buried at Bethlehem . Her children were Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph - 11th-born overall.

Definitely his father's favorite son, from his favorite wife, it was Joseph who was sold for slavery into Egypt by his jealous brothers (see Coat Of Many Colors ). There, with God's help, he rose to become the highest official of the Pharaoh , saving the nation from the famine that was prophesied. When the rest of Jacob's family moved to Egypt to escape the famine, it was Joseph who had made their survival possible (they would remain in Egypt 400 years, eventually becoming slaves until the Exodus). While there, Joseph had 2 sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were themselves made into individual tribes of Israel to bring the number back to 12 - the priestly tribe of Levi was not counted separately, but was absorbed among the other tribes. Ephraim - Younger than Manasseh, he was never the less ranked higher in the family structure (Genesis 48:19). His descendants were to become a great future group of nations. Manasseh - 1st-born of Joseph, he was prophesied to become a great single nation. Benjamin - The youngest of the 12 sons. Rachel died while giving him birth.

The apostle Paul (see On The Road To Damascus ), who wrote much of the New Testament, is descended from Benjamin. Leah - It seems that Jacob did not have a great deal of love for her, perhaps because she became his wife by deception (Genesis 29:16-30). Never the less, Leah is the mother of the greatest number of the Tribes of Israel, and is today buried with Jacob (along with Abraham, Sarah , Isaac and Rebekah) in the high-tension area of The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Her children are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Israel's only recorded daughter, Dinah. Reuben - 1st-born overall. He was disqualified from his position as eldest son when he committed an act of sexual immorality with Jacob's concubine Bilhah (Genesis 35:22). Simeon - 2nd-born overall. Levi - 3rd-born overall. From Levi came the Levites who were dedicated to God's service. As such, they were later not counted as a separate tribe.

Moses and Aaron and John The Baptist were descended from Levi. Judah - 4th-born overall. Perhaps the most famous of Jacob's sons, it was from Judah that the Jews are descended. Jesus Christ (see also The Chosen People ), and most Christians in the earliest days of the church, were descended from Judah. A vital element for understanding Bible Prophecy is that while all Jews are Israelites, not all Israelites are Jews (just the same as all Belgians are Europeans, but not all Europeans are Belgians). There are many millions of people around the world today who are Israelites, but are not Jews. Issachar - 9th-born overall. Zebulun - 10th-born overall. Dinah - Israel's only daughter. Bilhah - Rachel's maid, it was Rachel's idea that Jacob have children with her (Genesis 30:3-6). Her children were Dan and Naphtali. Dan - 5th-born overall. Naphtali - 6th-born overall. Zilpah - Leah's maid, it was Leah's idea that Jacob have children with her (Genesis 30:9). Her children were Gad and Asher.

Gad - 7th-born overall. Asher - 8th-born overall. Fact Finder: When he knew that he was dying, did Jacob specifically request that he be taken out from Egypt and buried in the family tomb in Hebron? Genesis 49:29-33 Bible Fun For Kids: The 12 Sons of Jacob vs. The 12 Tribes of Israel Tuesday, August 28, 2012 The 12 Sons of Jacob vs. The 12 Tribes of Israel This is an easy way to teach the 12 sons of Jacob and how they became the 12 tribes of Israel. Students always understand the changes after this lesson. Sorry, these are older photos of the visuals I created and not good camera quality. Print Tribes poster here I made today's visual using a tri-fold science foam board and clipart from Logos Bible Clips. I found the map free online. I printed everything on cardstock and laminated everything. There are links are at the end of this lesson to download everything but the map.

NOTE: Joseph, Levi, & both of Joseph's sons AND their scroll name tags ...ALSO, the 4 title pieces are attached with Velcro to the board. All the rest are attached with sticky dots. (Found in the scrapbook isle.) The extra pieces with the Velcro are saved in a 6x9 brown clasp envelope attached to the back of the board during storage. What you see in blue is what I did using the visual while telling the Bible lesson. I either pointed to it, or added/subtracted from the visual. Lesson found in Genesis 30 and 32 : (After review...) Today we are going to start with Abraham and then we are going to jump to Jacob and the 12 Tribes of Israel. Download here ﻿ When Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him. Even though Abraham didn’t have sons, God told him to “Look toward the heaven and count the stars, if you can and that is how many descendants you will have.” (15:5-6) (Explain descendants) He believed what God told him. He said that Abraham would be 'a father of many nations'. Nations and kings would come from his descendants.

And, as God promised, Abraham and Sarah had a son named Isaac. Isaac married Rebekah and they had twins named Jacob and Esau. We are going to spend most of our time talking about Jacob and his family today because through Abraham to Jacob, Jesus was born. Jacob had 12 sons. Looking at our board, we have Jacob and his 12 sons, from the oldest (Reuben) to the youngest (Benjamin). Let's talk about Joseph. Jacob liked his 11th son Joseph the most, and he gave him a coat of many colors. You all know about Joseph. His brothers were so jealous that they put him in a pit and when some traders came by, they sold Joseph for 20 pieces of silver. Joseph ended up in Egypt and did what God wanted him to, and he was 2nd in charge after the governor. His brothers went to Egypt and after a time, Joseph told them who he was and Joseph was able to see his father Jacob again. Joseph had 2 sons named Ephraim & Manasseh. (I held up the 2 sons) Let's look at the board again. The title is The 12 Sons of Jacob. That's easy to understand.

[Genesis 32:22-31] One night, Jacob wrestled with a man. When it was close to morning, Jacob found out he was actually wrestling with an angel from God and the angel told him that “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel". Now, we are going to change Jacob's name to Israel. (Original text means angel, messenger from God. This is one of the scriptures that I use to teach the children that angels do not have wings. If the angel had wings, Jacob would have felt them and known who he was wrestling.) Eventually, the Promised land was divided up. Moses and Joshua, doing exactly what God wanted, were the ones that made the final decisions on who received what land. Levi was considered the priesthood and took care of all the religious duties. He took care of the tabernacle and everything inside of it. So, he was not given part of the land. So, we will take him off the board. Joseph was considered a patriarch and that was considered more of an honor, so he was not given part of the land. A patriarch is a man who rules a family, clan, or tribe. We will take him of the board also.

Now we have 2 empty places! Also, since each person was given a section of land, and they had their whole groups of families living with them, and they had huge families back then, as a group they were each called a tribe. So, we will take down 12 Sons, since we know that each of the 12 sons didn't get a part of the land, and we will change it to The 12 Tribes of Israel. We are not finished yet, though, we know there were 12 Tribes. Since Joseph was considered a patriarch now, he was not given a portion of the land, the portions were given to his sons. So, we will add Joseph's 2 sons Ephraim and Manasseh to the board to complete the 12 men. That is how we went from having 12 sons of Jacob to the 12 Tribes of Israel. Twelve Tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

In the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament), the Israelites are described as descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel in Gen 32:28), the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham . The phrase "Twelve Tribes of Israel" (or simply "Twelve Tribes") sometimes occurs in the Bible (OT & NT) without any individual names being listed (Gen 49:28; Exod 24:4; 28:21; 39:14; Ezek 47:13; Matt 19:28; Luke 22:30; Acts 26:7; and Rev 21:12; cf. also "Twelve Tribes of the Dispersion" in James 1:1). More frequently, however, the names are explicitly mentioned. The Bible contains two dozen listings of the twelve sons of Jacob and/or tribes of Israel. Some of these are in very brief lists, while others are spread out over several paragraphs or chapters that discuss the distribution of the land or name certain representatives of each tribe, one after another.

Surprisingly, however, each and every listing is slightly different from all the others, either in the order of the names mentioned or even in the specific names used (e.g., the two sons of Joseph are sometimes listed along with or instead of their father; and sometimes one or more names is omitted for various reasons). A few of the texts actually have more than 12 names! Upon closer analysis, one can discover several principles for the ordering and various reasons for the omission or substitution of some of the names, as explained in the notes below the following tables. In some cases, however, the reasons are not so obvious, leaving us to wonder about the many variations. Jacob's twelve sons are first mentioned in the order of their births (to four different mothers) in the Book of Genesis (29:3130:24 & 35:16-20).

For easier analysis, they are distinguished by colored highlighting in the table below: Leah (elder wife): 1) Reuben, 2) Simeon, 3) Levi, 4) Judah; later also 9) Issachar and 10) Zebulun - (shades of red) Bilhah (Rachel's slave): 5) Dan, 6) Naphtali - (light blue) Zilpah (Leah's slave): 7) Gad, 8) Asher - (light green) Rachel (younger wife): 11) Joseph, 12) Benjamin - (shades of yellow) [Manasseh & Ephraim, sons of Joseph, are often listed separately; in some later texts, the half-tribe of Manasseh is further divided into its eastern and western halves.] Gen 2930, 35 omit: Dan Notes on Each Passage: Genesis 29:3130:24 and 35:16-20 - the births of the first eleven sons are mentioned in chronological order, along with the meanings of their names; the last son, Benjamin, is

 born significantly later.

Gen 35:22-26 - briefly lists the names of the 12 sons of Jacob, grouped by their respective mothers: Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah. Gen 46:8-27 - lists the 70 members of Jacob's extended family who went to live in Egypt: Jacob's sons (grouped by their mothers: Leah, Zilpah, Rachel, Bilhah), along with their sons and even a few grandsons; aside from the mothers, only three other women are named (Leah's daughter Dinah, Asher's daughter Serah, and Joseph's Egyptian wife Asenath); the total is 70, "not counting the wives of Jacob's sons" (46:26) Gen 49:1-27 - just before dying, Jacob blesses his twelve sons with various words, in a slightly different order than the previous lists.

Exodus 1:1-5 - a brief list of "the sons of Israel" who migrated to Egypt; the same order as Gen 35:22-26, except that Joseph is mentioned last, because he "was already in Egypt." Numbers 1:5-15 - a brief list of leading men, one from each tribe, who are to assist Moses and Aaron in taking a census of all the Israelites; for the first time, Ephraim and Manasseh are listed separately for the descendants of Joseph; the tribe of Levi is omitted, as explained at the end of the chapter. Num 1:20-46 & 47-54 - the completed census, reporting the number of fighting-age men in each tribe; curiously, Gad is now listed third, but otherwise the order is the same as the previous list; vv. 47-54 explain that the Levites were not to be included in the census, since they have a special responsibility for the Tabernacle.

Num 2:3-29 - the arrangement of the encampment in the desert is prescribed: three on each side (E, S, W, N), with the Levites and the meeting tent in the middle; the four camps are named after Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, with two other tribes associated with each one, respectively. Num 7:1-88 - after the Tabernacle is set up, the leaders of the twelve tribes present offerings, one each on twelve consecutive days, in the same order as listed in 2:3-29, except that the introduction mentions the Levites as the ones receiving the offerings brought by all the other tribes.

Num 10:11-28 - the Israelites break camp in a very orderly fashion, identical to Num 2:3-29 except for the position of the Levites: the camp of Judah (with their 2 associated tribes) goes first, then the Gershon and Merari clans of Levites carry the Tabernacle, then the camp of Reuben; at midpoint, the Kohath clan of Levites carries the sacred objects for the Tabernacle, followed by the camps of Ephraim and Dan. Num 13:4-15 - twelve men, one from each tribe except Levi, are chosen to reconnoiter the land of Canaan; the order is similar to Num 1:5-15, with two minor reversals. Num 26:5-50 - a second census of fighting-age men is reported in the same order as the first census (Num 1:20-46), except for the reversal of the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, both of which are still explicitly identified as the descendants of Joseph.

Num 34:19-28 - after the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh are settled on the East side of the Jordan river, one leader from each of the remaining 9-1/2 tribes is to work with Eleazar (priest) and Joshua (new leader after Moses) to apportion among themselves the land of Canaan (West of the Jordan). Deuteronomy 27:12-13 - Moses says that six tribes "shall stand on Mount Gerizim to pronounce blessings over the people," while the other six tribes "shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses"; the list includes both Levi and Joseph, but the order is different than any previous text. Deut 33:1-29 - just before his death, Moses blesses eleven of the tribes of Israel; the order is totally unfamiliar, and curiously Simeon is omitted.

Joshua 1319 - the division of the Promised Land among the twelve tribes is described in detail, beginning briefly with the 2-1/2 tribes East of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad, and 1/2 of Manasseh), followed by greater detail about the 9-1/2 tribes West of the Jordan. Josh 21:4-8 - each of the tribes of Israel gives several cities to the Levites, in four divisions: the Kohathite descendants of Aaron (from Judah, Simeon & Benjamin); the other Kohathite clans (from Ephraim, Dan & half-Manasseh); the Gershonite clans (from Issachar, Asher, Naphtali & half-Manasseh); the Merarite clans (from Rueben, Gad & Zebulun).

Judges 5:12-22 - six tribes formed the Israelite league fighting against Sisera: Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (probably representing Manasseh), Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali (led by Barak); four tribes are chided for not participating: Reuben, Gilead (Gad), Dan, and Asher; the tribes of Judah and Simeon (more distant), and Levi (priestly) are not mentioned. 1 Chronicles 2:1-2 - a brief list of the 12 sons of Israel; similar to the order of Gen 35:22-26, except that Dan is placed before Joseph (why?). 1 Chr 27 - very long genealogies covering the time span from the patriarchs down to the Babylonian exile; the tribe of Judah is covered first and in greatest detail (ch. 2-3; because of King David and the Chronicler's own Judean context); ch. 4 covers the southern tribes: Judah (again!) & Simeon; ch.

5 the 2-1/2 eastern (Transjordan) tribes; 5:276:66 the various Levite clans; 7:1-40 most of the other northern tribes, but only briefly and omitting Zebulun (why?). 1 Chr 12:24-38 - thousands of soldiers from each tribe assemble at Hebron to swear allegiance to David as the new King; the tribe of Judah is first and the 2-1/2 Transjordan tribes are last, but the rest is in an order different from anything prior (why?) 1 Chr 27:16-22 - a brief list of 13 (!) leaders of the tribes of Israel at the time of King David; Levi and Aaron are curiously listed separately, as are the eastern and western halves of Manasseh, but Gad and Asher are omitted (why?) Ezekiel 48:1-29 - an idealized division of the land among the tribes of a New Israel, with seven tribes in the north, the tribe of Levi administering a sanctuary and sacred city in the middle, and the remaining five tribes in the south.

Ezek 48:30-34 - the new sacred city has twelve gates named after the twelve sons of Jacob, three on each side (N, E, S, W) Revelation 7:5-8 - the only list in the New Testament of the twelve tribes; John hears that 144,000 Israelites have been "sealed" for salvation, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes; this list curiously lists both Manasseh and Joseph (but not Ephraim), and omits Dan (why?). Meanings of the Names: 1 Chronicles 2 NASB - Genealogy: Twelve Sons of Jacob - Bible Gateway 1 Chronicles 2New American Standard Bible (NASB) Genealogy: Twelve Sons of Jacob (Israel) 2 These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 3 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan and Shelah; these three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanitess.

And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, so He put him to death. 4 Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all. 5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah were [ a ]Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and [ b ]Dara; five of them in all. 7 The [ c ]son of Carmi was [ d ]Achar, the troubler of Israel, who violated the ban. 8 The [ e ]son of Ethan was Azariah. Genealogy of David 9 Now the sons of Hezron, who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram and Chelubai.

10 Ram [ f ]became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, leader of the sons of Judah; 11 Nahshon became the father of Salma, Salma became the father of Boaz, 12 Boaz became the father of Obed, and Obed became the father of Jesse; 13 and Jesse became the father of Eliab his firstborn, then Abinadab the second, [ g ]Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh; 16 and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were [ h ]Abshai, Joab and Asahel. 17 Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was [ i ]Jether the Ishmaelite. 18 Now Caleb the son of Hezron had sons by Azubah his wife, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur became the father of Uri, and Uri became the father of Bezalel. 21 Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub. 22 Segub became the father of Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram took [ j ]the towns of Jair from them, with Kenath and its villages, even sixty cities. All these were the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead. 24 After the death of Hezron in Caleb-ephrathah, Abijah, Hezron’s wife, bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. 25 Now the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were Ram the firstborn, then Bunah, Oren, Ozem and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.

27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. And the sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur. 29 The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim, and Seled died without sons. 31 The [ k ]son of Appaim was Ishi. And the [ l ]son of Ishi was Sheshan. And the [ m ]son of Sheshan was Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada the brother of Shammai were Jether and Jonathan, and Jether died without sons. 33 The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. 34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. And Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant in marriage, and she bore him Attai.

36 Attai became the father of Nathan, and Nathan became the father of Zabad, 37 and Zabad became the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal became the father of Obed, 38 and Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu became the father of Azariah, 39 and Azariah became the father of Helez, and Helez became the father of Eleasah, 40 and Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai became the father of Shallum, 41 and Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah became the father of Elishama. 42 Now the sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph; and [ n ]his son was Mareshah, the father of Hebron. 43 The sons of Hebron were Korah and Tappuah and Rekem and Shema. 44 Shema became the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem became the father of Shammai.

45 The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Bethzur. 46 Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza and Gazez; and Haran became the father of Gazez. 47 The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah and Shaaph. 48 Maacah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. 50 These were the sons of Caleb. The [ o ]sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem and Hareph the father of Beth-gader.

52 Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had sons: Haroeh, half of the Manahathites, 53 and the families of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54 The sons of Salma were Bethlehem and the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 55 The families of scribes who lived at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. Those are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. Footnotes:

Question: In the bible who was the youngest of Jacob's twelve sons?
Answer: Benjamin